Iveyrock

I have mentioned several times that art projects are a priority to me. I thought about writing out why they are such a high priority, and then decided that it was pretty self-explanatory. I don’t think anyone is going to argue that art is not good for children.

But as I was looking at our new kitchen set-up, I started thinking again about why this is a priority; so much so that I am willing to rearrange my kitchen to facilitate it. I really don’t intend for my children to grow up to be artists, and I am not really doing it as an “educational” thing (although I am always fascinated to see how much they do learn). Since this blog is a place to unclutter my brain, I decided to go ahead and talk about this after all.

So then, why projects are so important to me.

The first, and most obvious reason, is that we enjoy them. The kids love to create, and I love to watch them. Or better yet, jump right in and work on my own projects alongside them. Our art supply stash and time spent on creating things has grown as I’ve seen my children continue to choose to spend their time this way. I want our days to flow as smoothly as possible, so as they show me it’s a priority for them, I think about ways to facilitate.

Another reason is that while I don’t do it to “teach” them anything – we are not doing crafts or themes, and I am not involved in their work most of the time – I do want to expose them to things. I want them to know that they can use so many different supplies to get different results. I want them to discover how to make choices and plan their creations. I want them to see that they can be creative, and they are only limited by their own minds (and mommy’s tolerance for mess…)

I also want them to learn that they can express themselves through creating. That they can communicate their feelings and ideas to others, or even just for themselves. It can be empowering, and it can be cathartic. Today was very hectic day, and Ian was getting overwhelmed. He got out the paints, and I watched him visibly relax and refocus. The process of putting his ideas onto the paper, as well as the concentration to control the brush the way he wanted, was exactly what he needed in that moment.

Along those lines, these kinds of projects fill very real, physical needs for my kids. They need sensory play, and squishing paint or playdough gives them that.

And finally, to be quite blunt, it’s a way to pass the time. We started doing more art projects when I was pregnant with Micah, and the older two needed something to do. We don’t watch TV (unless someone is sick), and we don’t have very many scheduled activities. I plan our lives that way on purpose, and in turn we find ways to fill up our time.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Creating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.